Jorge Lorenzo targets `aggressive` Marquez

Kuala Lumpur: Reigning MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo will aim to slash Marc Marquez`s season lead in Malaysia this week after fiercely criticising his fellow Spaniard over a high-speed crash.

Lorenzo was left fuming after Marquez, following a braking mistake, touched Dani Pedrosa`s Honda at last month`s Aragon Grand Prix, causing him to lose traction control and come off.

Safety is again in focus at Malaysia`s Sepang circuit after two people died in an accident last month, two years after the fatal crash of young Italian star Marco Simoncelli.

Two-time world champion Lorenzo urged officials to be tough on Marquez, 20, saying he had learned a valuable lesson after being banned in 2005 for crashing into another rider.

"The mistake (by Marquez) was not as serious as others, but if you sum them up then I say that he is a very aggressive rider who puts himself and others at risk," the Yamaha rider said, according to reports.

Race officials will meet both Marquez and Pedrosa on Thursday, with the championship leader facing a possible penalty which would see him start from the back of the grid.

"There is not much we can do. We need to wait and see what they say," Marquez, who has done well at pre-season testing in Sepang, told the sport`s official website.

Marquez went on to rack up his sixth victory of the year at the Aragon race, leaving Lorenzo, who finished second, trailing by 39 points with four races left.

Lorenzo is challenging for the title with five wins in a season which has been interrupted by collarbone injuries after falls in the Netherlands and Germany.

Race officials have again promised that the Sepang circuit is safe after a rider hit a marshall late last month during practice for the Malaysian Super Series, killing both.

"The incident... has nothing to do with the safety aspect. It`s a tragic incident," Sepang chief executive officer Razlan Razali said.

But he said the mood was still "emotional" at the course on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. A tribute will be paid to the two men on Saturday.

Rain could also mar the race in the hot tropical climate with some 80,000 tickets already sold for Sunday.

A torrential downpour caused the race to be cut short last year, with Pedrosa crowned as the winner.

Lorenzo, who secured his first MotoGP title in Sepang in 2010, said he was keen to recover some points from Marquez.

"The championship is difficult, but we want to fight until the end. Let`s see what happens!" he said.

Pedrosa is third in the standings while nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, still mathematically capable of winning this year`s title, is fourth.